2027 Most Valuable Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Dakota

There is no single salary for a counseling graduate: occupation, employer, credential, and location all matter. The table provides national occupational benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, not starting salaries or estimates of what South Dakota graduates will earn. The wage reference period is May 2025; the growth projections cover 2025-2035.

The differences make specialization worth considering before comparing tuition. They do not mean that switching tracks will produce the wage shown: BLS figures describe people employed in an occupation across the United States, at different career stages. For a personal return-on-investment estimate, compare likely local jobs and your current earnings with the program's net cost and time away from paid work (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

The most useful distinction among these university options is the professional direction named in each program, not a general claim that one school offers better hands-on learning. Compare the current catalog and program pages before applying: requirements and available placements can change.

• University of South Dakota - catalog-listed counseling program: USD offers an institutional alternative to South Dakota State University's named specialization options. Its catalog entry is the place to confirm the exact degree title, required courses, and intended credential before treating it as equivalent to any SDSU track (University of South Dakota catalog).
• South Dakota State University - school counseling specialization: This specialization is explicitly oriented toward school counseling rather than clinical mental health practice. It is the more relevant SDSU option for applicants planning to pursue the school credential and should be checked against South Dakota Department of Education requirements (South Dakota State University program page; South Dakota Department of Education).
• South Dakota State University - marriage and family counseling: The named focus separates this option from SDSU's individual clinical mental health and school pathways. Applicants interested in relationship- and family-focused practice should ask how its curriculum and supervised training align with their intended South Dakota license (South Dakota State University program page; South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists).
• South Dakota State University - clinical mental health counseling: This is the SDSU option explicitly directed toward clinical mental health work. It is a better starting comparison for prospective mental health counselors than the school track, provided the current degree plan satisfies the requirements relevant to their intended license (South Dakota State University program page; South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists).
• South Dakota State University - rehabilitation counseling specialization: Its disability and rehabilitation focus distinguishes it from SDSU's other named counseling paths. It deserves particular attention from students targeting rehabilitation settings, who should verify which jobs require a state license or additional certification (South Dakota State University program page).

These distinctions establish career fit, not comparable completion rates, placement outcomes, or prices. Request the current requirements and outcomes for the specific specialization you are considering before using them to break a tie.

A bachelor's degree generally takes about four years of full-time study; a counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years full time, with part-time study taking longer. The exact schedule depends on the program's required courses, when classes are offered, and when you can complete supervised placements. Time spent pursuing post-degree supervised experience or examinations for a credential is separate from time to graduation.

Working applicants should request a term-by-term plan rather than relying on an advertised completion time. Ask whether placements can be scheduled alongside a job and whether a delayed placement would postpone graduation. An accelerated timetable has less value if it forces you to leave paid work unexpectedly.

Online study can reduce commuting and make a program feasible for someone living far from campus. It does not necessarily remove in-person practicum, internship, or supervision obligations. Campus study may make scheduled interaction easier, but neither format alone establishes that a graduate will meet South Dakota credential requirements.

For a remote student, the deciding question is often whether the school will approve a suitable placement and supervisor near home. Compare delivery format, required campus visits, placement support, and whether the program accepts students where you live. If you expect to practice in another state, obtain that state board's assessment of the degree requirements before enrolling (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; relevant state licensing board).

One statewide "average counseling degree cost" would obscure the decision students actually face: published tuition varies by institution, residency classification, enrollment load, and degree plan. A defensible comparison uses each program's current graduate tuition and required fees, then adds books, travel, any campus visits, and costs associated with placements. NCES IPEDS reports institutional prices, but an institution-wide figure should not be mistaken for the price of a particular counseling master's (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

Request a written estimate for the entire degree using your likely residency status and course schedule. Confirm when South Dakota public-university residency rules would apply rather than assuming that living in the state immediately qualifies you for a particular rate. The most affordable counseling programs offer another way to narrow the search, but compare net cost after aid and the likelihood of finishing on your planned schedule.

Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), then ask each graduate department about assistantships, scholarships, and placement-related support. Aid availability depends on the student, institution, and program; federal loans must be repaid, and an aid offer is not a reduction in price unless it contains grants or scholarships (Federal Student Aid; U.S. Department of Education).

Graduate PLUS rules have changed for new graduate borrowers. Do not build a financing plan around that loan without checking your eligibility under the current rules; some students with earlier qualifying enrollment and borrowing may be covered by transitional provisions. Ask the financial aid office to show the financing options available for your enrollment date and borrowing history, and compare expected debt with the earnings of the occupation you intend to enter (Federal Student Aid).

Master's applicants generally need a completed bachelor's degree, but schools set their own standards for prior coursework, grades, references, statements, and interviews. A psychology major may be helpful without being mandatory; check the current admissions page for the exact specialization rather than assuming every counseling track has the same prerequisites (University of South Dakota; South Dakota State University).

Before paying an application fee, ask admissions whether your previous credits satisfy prerequisite courses and whether graduate transfer credits can count toward the degree. Then ask the program's credentialing adviser a separate question: does that course plan satisfy the educational requirements for the South Dakota credential you want? Admission to a degree program and eligibility for a professional credential are different decisions.

Graduate counseling plans commonly cover counseling theory and techniques, ethics, assessment, human development, research, and supervised practice. The specialization determines what else matters: school counseling students need preparation for educational settings; clinical mental health students need clinical assessment and treatment preparation; marriage and family students study relational work; and rehabilitation students focus on disability-related counseling and services (University of South Dakota catalog; South Dakota State University program pages).

Use the course sequence to test a program's promise. If a required class is offered infrequently, it can affect completion time; if supervised practice is concentrated in a particular term, it can affect your ability to keep working. Request the current catalog plan and sample schedule, not just a list of course titles.

South Dakota State University identifies school counseling, marriage and family counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and rehabilitation counseling as separate graduate options. That breadth lets applicants compare career targets within one institution, but it does not make the tracks interchangeable. The University of South Dakota catalog provides another counseling-program option whose current title and requirements should be confirmed directly (South Dakota State University program pages; University of South Dakota catalog).

Choose by the work you want to do and the credential it requires. Someone aiming to counsel K-12 students should begin with the school pathway; someone aiming for independent clinical practice should investigate the clinical pathway and subsequent licensing steps. If neither goal is clear yet, speak with practitioners in both settings before committing to a specialization that may be costly to change.

Start with your intended job, then work backward through its credential requirements. A ranking can identify programs worth investigating; the right investment is the one you can afford and complete that also fits the work you want to pursue. The most popular counseling programs can show another comparison lens, but popularity does not establish licensure fit or personal value.

Use these checks to separate a promising program from one that merely looks convenient:

1. Identify the intended South Dakota license or school credential and ask the relevant board or agency which educational requirements apply.
2. Ask the school for its current degree plan, programmatic accreditation status if relevant to your goal, supervised-placement process, and any published specialization-level outcomes.
3. Compare total net cost and debt, expected completion time, lost earnings while studying, and the chance that your work schedule will allow you to finish.
4. Confirm transfer-credit decisions in writing and ask whether the school can support placements near where you expect to live and work.

A common mistake is to treat accreditation, graduation, certification, and licensure as the same thing. Institutional accreditation concerns the university; programmatic accreditation concerns a specific program; certification and state licensure have separate rules. Verify each claim with the university and the appropriate authority before depositing tuition (U.S. Department of Education; South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; South Dakota Department of Education).

A career path may begin in a supervised role and progress toward a position requiring independent licensure, depending on the specialty and employer. School counseling follows an education-credential path; clinical mental health and marriage and family practice require attention to the relevant professional-license path; rehabilitation work can span service settings with differing job requirements (South Dakota Department of Education; South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists).

A graduate program makes most sense when the target role calls for that level and type of training. If you want to explore the field before committing to graduate tuition, look at entry-level positions with mental health, education, or disability-service organizations and ask what qualifications they require. A short certificate may build a skill, but do not assume it substitutes for the degree and supervised experience required for a licensed counseling role.

The national outlook differs sharply by specialty: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth from 2025 to 2035 for the occupation associated with mental health and addiction counseling, compared with 3% for school counseling. These are U.S. projections, not a forecast of openings in a particular South Dakota community. They suggest investigating the employer market for your chosen track rather than treating "counseling" as one labor market (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

Before choosing a placement or program, review current vacancies in the part of the state where you intend to work. Note the required credential, whether supervision is available, and whether employers accept new graduates. A program aligned with those requirements may offer better practical value than a faster or cheaper degree that leaves a credential gap.

Investing in a counseling degree is an important decision, particularly when a program's price and credential pathway can affect years of work after graduation. Research.com's team examined multiple education datasets and program measures to make its rankings more credible, accurate, and useful for comparing options. The ranking is a starting point for a decision, not a substitute for checking current tuition and eligibility with a school and the relevant licensing authority.

Research.com's counseling rankings consider graduate outcomes, applicable licensure-exam pass rates, accreditation and federal aid eligibility, and program cost. For the Best ranking, the graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score combines program completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), applicable licensure-exam pass rates (20%), CACREP accreditation (16%), and Title IV eligibility (4%). The shares are adjusted when a measure does not apply; cost contributes a smaller portion - about 7% - of the final Best score. Online and campus programs use the same approach. Rankings focused on other dimensions order programs by the dimension named in the ranking.

The team used the following sources to assess programs and cross-check institutional information:

• IPEDS database - institutional enrollment, completions, and reported costs.
• Peterson's database - program and institution information.
• College Scorecard database - federal institutional cost and outcome information.
• National Center for Education Statistics - federal education data and definitions.

These measures help readers screen programs for value rather than relying on a name or advertised tuition alone. See Research.com's methodology for more on how its rankings are created.

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• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Counselors
  Used to verify salary, employment outlook, and typical education requirements.
  https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/
• CACREP - Directory of Accredited Programs
  Used to verify CACREP accreditation status of specific programs.
  https://www.cacrep.org/directory/
• O*NET OnLine - Mental Health Counselors (21-1014)
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1014.00
• University of South Dakota - M.A. in Counseling and Psychology in Education - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.usd.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=41&poid=9585&returnto=2666
• South Dakota State University - Counseling and Human Resource Development (M.S.) - School Counseling Specialization
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.sdstate.edu/programs/graduate/counseling-human-resource-development-ms-school-counseling-specialization
• South Dakota State University - Counseling and Human Resource Development (M.S.) - Marriage and Family Counseling Specialization
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.sdstate.edu/programs/graduate/counseling-human-resource-development-ms-marriage-family-counseling
• South Dakota State University - Counseling and Human Resource Development (M.S.)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.sdstate.edu/programs/graduate/counseling-human-resource-development-ms-clinical-mental-health-counseling
• South Dakota State University - Counseling and Human Resource Development (M.S.) - Rehabilitation Counseling Specialization
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.sdstate.edu/programs/graduate/counseling-human-resource-development-ms-rehabilitation-counseling-specialization